We decided to try out a ranch dressing pizza because I accidentally-on-purpose made a triple batch of the stuff which needed to be used up stat. Prior to this I’d only heard of ranch being used as a dipping sauce for pizza (mostly the naked crusts!), never a substitute for red sauce. But it does happen, on occasion. So I figured what the hey, let’s do this shit!

Any doubts I may have had quickly dissipated with the first bite. This is one delicious pizza pie, yo! Not too overpowering (it cooks down a little during baking), the dressing adds just a hint of ranch – and the bacon bits, which actually gain a little extra kick during their time in the oven, are a tasty touch. Throw in some garden fresh veggies and you’re good to go!

Just an fyi on the ranch dressing: I used the recipe found in Lane Gold’s Vegan Junk Food, but there plenty of recipes available on the web. You can also buy it pre-made; Organicville and Follow Your Heart both make vegan varieties. But why pay five bucks+ a bottle when diy is so simple and inexpensive?

Approximately 1 1/2 cups of vegan ranch dressing
3 to 4 cups of garden-fresh veggies, diced (or possibly grated, which seems to be de rigueur for this type of pie); we used carrots, zucchini, green peppers, and broccoli
Vegan bacon bits
Mozzarella and Cheddar Daiya cheese, or the vegan cheese of your choice
Cornmeal or cooking spray with which to coat the pizza stone or pizza pan

Directions

1. To prepare the dough: stir the water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil and salt, as well as any extra spices or seasonings. Stir in the flour until blended. Form the dough into a small ball and let rest in large bowl, covered loosely with a towel, anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.

4. Spread a layer of ranch dressing onto the dough; spread it on about as thickly as you might red sauce or the like, as it will cook down a little during baking. (Any leftovers will keep for up to a week when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.) Add the veggies and bacon bits and top with some mozzarella and/or cheddar shreds.

5. Bake at 425 degrees, for between 15 and 20 minutes for a single pizza, or 30 minutes for two pizzas.

Now that the tomatoes are finally starting to pop in our garden, we have a legit reason to eat more pizza – homemade pizza sauce, yo! Well, technically this is a wonderfully chunky marinara sauce, but who’s counting?

Enjoyed in place of your regular, boring old store-bought red sauce, this homemade marinara sauce produces a pie that’s almost white, but not quite: cooked down so that there’s not much excess liquid, the “sauce” mostly consists of chunks of tomatoes – juicy tomatoes, bursting with flavor. Not sauce, but saucy!

imho, the teeny-tiny tomatoes – super sweets, Juliets, etc. – work best in this recipe. Cut the round, grape-shaped tomatoes in half; the miniature oblong tomatoes into three to five rounds. Or not: some tomatoes are tiny enough that you can just toss ’em in the pan whole. They’re like the cherries on your vegan ice cream sundaes, I tell you what. Way more flavorful than their supersized cousins!

Mozzarella Follow Your Heart cheese, or the vegan cheese of your choice
Cornmeal or cooking spray with which to coat the pizza stone or pizza pan

Directions

1. To prepare the dough: stir the water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil, salt, and rosemary. Stir in the flour until blended. Form the dough into a small ball and let rest in large bowl, covered loosely with a towel, anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.

2. About 45 minutes before you’d like to start making the pizza, begin preparing the marinara sauce. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the olive oil. Add the diced onion and cook on medium-high heat for about five minutes, or until the onions are nearly translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for several more minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, basil, and oregano and cook, covered on medium, for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover; add salt & pepper (as well as extra basil or oregano, if desired) to taste. Continue to cook, uncovered, until the tomatoes are soft and tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. The tomatoes should be nice and juicy, but without a lot of extra moisture in the sauce. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

4. To assemble the pizza, start by spreading a dusting of cornmeal onto your pizza stone (or lightly coat your pizza pan with cooking spray). Using fingers dipped in olive oil (optional), pat the dough onto the stone, spreading it out evenly. Add the marinara sauce, distributing it evenly onto the pizza. (This recipe should make enough sauce for one 13″ pizza. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy on pasta – or, better yet, on a mini pita bread pizza!) Garnish with vegan mozzarella cheese and a touch of oregano.

5. Bake at 425 degrees, for between 15 and 20 minutes for a single pizza, or 30 minutes for two pizzas.